Because guns are expensive, and potentially harmful when in the wrong hands, many mechanisms have been proposed over the years for securing guns or otherwise limiting unauthorized access thereto. Many of these mechanisms, e.g., gun safes and electronic gun safety systems, are unwieldy and/or expensive. Simpler alternatives are effective for their intended purpose, but do not prevent the gun from being stolen or loaded with ammunition.
Hunting from all-terrain vehicles (ATV) and other recreational vehicles has grown in popularity over the last several years. A major concern for ATV hunters is where to store their hunting rifles. Therefore, what is needed is a new gun mount which will allow for easy accessibility for a ATV hunter while still protecting the gun and/or scope from damage. In these respects, the vehicle fixable gun mount would need to substantially depart from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provide an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of the safe transportation of guns and equipment.
Law enforcement personnel also often carry guns in their vehicles. These weapons, which include shot guns, rifles, assault rifles and other types of long guns, are often stored in a gun lock fastened securely to a gun rack. The gun rack is mounted either horizontally or vertically at an interior location in the vehicle, and generally is mounted in substantially parallel to a planar region serving as the mounting base in the vehicle, such as the floor, a sidewall or the ceiling.
The design of a proper gun rack or mount for both ATV and law enforcement use should provide for immediate release of the weapon when needed. Yet, easy access to the weapon can present a problem, for example, if an intruder or other unauthorized person attempted to misappropriate the weapon.
The choice of location at which the weapon is stored in the vehicle varies considerably depending on the type of weapon selected and the geometry of the vehicle. Further complicating the problem is the fact that whereas in the past, gun mounts have generally applied to one type of weapon, today, a gun mount should accommodate a variety of weapons having considerably differing sizes and configurations.
Storage of such weapons in the home also presents problems. The weapon must be secure but readily available when needed. It is desirable for both individuals and organizations to maintain and store guns under some form of locking mechanism to provide security against unauthorized use or theft of the guns. It is particularly desirable that guns stored in the home should not be accessible to an intruder lest they be turned against the homeowner.
The present invention generally concerns mechanisms for the storage of guns, and more specifically relates to a rack apparatus designed to be mounted to a wall or similar object to securely retain and prevent unauthorized removal of one or more guns secured in the apparatus.
One method of attaching one style of guns, the AR15, horizontally on the wall involves an extended mag attachment that the gun slips onto the gun through the magwell. The AR15 attaches to a wall at a single attachment point in the downward vertical direction can only be mounted around a one-inch wide area on the buffer tube and is released via a button. To release the gun, the user must hold the gun and also use another hand to hit the button so that the gun does not drop when released.
Another method is a system by Peglock that uses a strap mounting system attached to a mounted peg board. This system is marketed for applications in a vehicle in areas such as under the rear seat, on the ceiling, and on the inside of the tailgate. The user must mount a peg board, and then attach pegs to the board to support the rifle, and then attach a strap to the peg board that secures the rifle in place. Such a gun mount may be thought of as being based off the concept of handcuff.
Yet another known device provides a universal locking clamp attachment around the entire forearm of the rifle. However, what is needed is the ability to mount an accessory feature using the various rail systems already on a firearm to mate with a locking mount. Yet, there is the need for a single assembly that may attach directly into any surface for holding a rifle's weight without the further need for a bar to attach the clamp in line with the stock holder.
Another known device closes around a section of the forearm of a rifle and has a place for the stock to rest. This mount is adjustable along an attaching bar where it is to be fixed. Unfortunately, due to the clamp size, such a gun mount is not universal in accepting firearms with bulky forearms or with extra accessories. These kinds of gun mounts are devices that mount an accessory on the gun for use while operating the firearm and not to mount the gun to a fixed surface. Still other devices mount a gun using a method of two hooks or “u-shaped” FIGUREs to rest the gun in a saddle like way horizontally where my invention the gun does not rest in the mounting apparatus by two points of attachment and it can be positioned in multiple directions than horizontally.
For a new type of gun mount to be beneficial, concerns include that the gun mount be (i) economical of construction, (ii) strong and secure in the protection of guns, (iii) easily and readily access, (iv) artistic and aesthetic to display held guns, (iv) variably configured upon installation to hold varying numbers of guns of various sizes, and (v) versatile to hold both long guns and handguns at the same time.
In addition to the above considerations, various embodiments of a gun mount should allow for easy application to surfaces where one might want to mount a gun. Such a mount needs to consider that the mount may be formed of materials including both metal and non-metal construction. In particular, there is the need for mounting tabs in such configurations to be directly compatible with current industry standard railings such as M-Lok, Key-Mod, and Picatinny railings. Such configurations should also accommodate various tab structures, including electromagnetic ways to connect to the metal structure of the rifle or weapon.